Jimmy Garoppolo's ankle injury will likely prompt the 49ers to start Nick Mullens on Sunday against the New York Giants, on a surface that is still concerning to coach Kyle Shanahan and players.
Jimmy Garoppolo won’t practice Wednesday or likely later this week because of a high-ankle sprain, strengthening Nick Mullens’ bid to start as the 49ers’ quarterback Sunday against the New York Giants.
“I know our players believe in him and he’ll be fine,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of Mullens in a video conference from The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where the 49ers are sequestered this week.
Mullens’ first meaningful action since his 2018 came in the second half of Sunday’s 31-13 win over the Jets, after Garoppolo was kept out at halftime. Staked to a 21-3 lead, Mullens preserved the win by modestly completing 8-of-11 pass for 71 yards with an interception and two fumbles.
Mullens went 3-5 to close the 2018 season in relief of Garoppolo (Week 3 knee injury) and C.J. Beathard (0-5). Mullens’ debut was a three-touchdown, 262-yard dandy to defeat the Raiders 34-3 on “Thursday Night Football.”
“You could say when I first started, it was not a surprise to myself, but it was my first time doing it. Now, I just have a higher expectation for myself,” Mullens said Sunday. “That’s what kind of carries me and pushes me.
“It’s my fourth year, there’s really no excuses as to why I shouldn’t perform.”
On that note, the 49ers’ injury rate can supply plenty of excuses.
Tight end George Kittle missed last game with a knee sprain and returned to practice Wednesday in a limited capacity, and MetLife Stadium’s turf is not depicted as a great welcome-back spot. The 49ers are still without wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot) for at least another week, and they will likely play Sunday without their top two running backs, Raheem Mostert (knee) and Tevin Coleman (knee; likely out four weeks).
Factor in the absence of injured defensive starters — Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford and Richard Sherman — and Mullens will need to muster his 2018 magic.
“Nick got a lot of playing time with us in 2018,” Shanahan said. “It prepared him for moments like this. He always does a good job in practice and (we are) excited to see him get his opportunity.”
The 49ers’ typically roll out their starting quarterback for Wednesday media sessions. Neither Mullens nor Garoppolo spoke this time.
Giants coach Joe Judge, in Wednesday’s media session, praised Mullens’ anticipation, quick release and ability to spread the field. “And he’s a tough, gritty dude,” Judge added. “Whether it’s Jimmy or Mullens, to be honest, you have to have a plan for both.”
Left tackle Trent Williams admiress Mullens’ serious approach to preparing every week as if he’s starting.
“There’s not a lot of joking around. You can tell he’s serious about his craft,” Williams said. “We’re ready to go with him. We definitely can win, we will win with him.”
GAROPPOLO’S ‘MEATHEAD’ CREW
If Garoppolo guts it out like he did through the first half of Sunday’s win over the Jets, Judge knows better than most opponents what makes Garoppolo tick. They go back to their NFL roots with the New England Patriots, back to 2014 when Judge was a special teams assistant and Garoppolo began his apprenticeship under Tom Brady.
“Jimmy’s a tough dude, man,” Judge said Wednesday. “One thing stuck out to me is he never backed down from any competition. He was trying to get on the field to make an impact.”
Garoppolo’s blue-collar mentality traces to his upbringing with three other brothers in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Judge remembers those brothers, too.
“He’s got those older brothers who would always show up at the game. You know, the very typical, Midwest meathead family,” Judge said in light-hearted fashion. “I think a whole lot of Jimmy. Kyle’s done a phenomenal job with him. He’s got a lot of talent but also a lot of gusto to him.”
McKINNON READY FOR MORE
Jerick McKinnon will get a bigger workload and presumably start while Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman recover from knee sprains, Coleman’s being worse and likely requiring a four-week stay on injured reserve, Shanahan said.
“I’m very confident in Jet and he’s done a great job in all his reps,” Shanahan said. “He’s excited for it and we’re excited to see him.”
Williams has seen McKinnon’s comeback up close since the offseason, when McKinnon trained at the Houston gym Williams owns with current Detroit Lions running back Adrian Peterson.
“It’s hard to even think he’s human sometimes after watching him,” Williams said. “I’ve never seen anybody work on the level with Adrian Peterson and bring the same intensity to the workout, until he himself brought Jet down there. Jet works like a machine. That’s why I can’t imagine him on the field and not being a breakout player and not being that guy who can carry the load as an every-down back.”
McKinnon has scored a touchdown in each of the 49ers’ first two games, and Williams made special mention how McKinnon turned a third-and-31, I-formation run into a 55-yard gain Sunday.
KITTLE, FORD UPDATES
Tight end George Kittle is to practice in limited fashion for the first time since his knee sprain in the season opener.
Defensive end Dee Ford is “taking medicine” for a mysterious back issue that Shanahan would not elaborate on other than note how serious they can become. Ford is out indefinitely.
METLIFE TURF
While Shanahan awaits the NFL and NFL Players Association to further investigate the safety of MetLife Stadium’s synthetic turf, Judge has defended his home turf’s viability. “I’ve had no conversations with the NFL, period, on the field. I’ll let them take care of that.”
Several 49ers players voiced concerns and Arik Armstead called it “trash” after five teammates sustained lower-leg injuries Sunday, including season-ending knee injuries to Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas.
Williams said of the turf: “I’d be lying if I said we’re not thinking about it or it’d cross your mind. But when you have a 300-pound linemen trying to put you on your back, the surface falls to the backburner. … You do get a little nervous but I just pray before the game that I’m protected.”
MASKED MAN
Shanahan’s response to the $100,000 fine he drew and the $250,000 penalty invoked by the NFL onto the 49ers for him not consistently wearing a protective mask on the sideline: “Obviously I can do better job during the game wearing it, and I will do a better job. … I got the message and I will do better.” Shanahan hailed the 49ers’ COVID-19 precautions and apologized for how his actions, or lack thereof, reflected on the organization’s efforts.
GREENBRIER ‘HEALING POWERS’
Told by a local reporter that the town of White Sulphur Springs built its tourism industry around a belief of West Virginia waters’ healing power, Shanahan replied: “I did not know that about the healing powers of the water so I’ll stop with the bottled water and get right to that with the players. We could use it right now.”
The Greenbrier resort previously hosted the Houston Texans’ and New Orleans Saints’ training camps, and Shanahan said it’s been an ideal spot for the 49ers’ East Coast layover.
